The WHO European Region has launched today a new action plan for NCDs at the Regional Committee meeting in Copenhagen. The plan outlines actions to considerably reduce the burden of NCDs, improve quality of life and make healthy life expectancy more equitable. 

In addition to early detection of NCDs, the action plan advocates the use of fiscal policies and marketing restrictions to promote healthy eating, reformulating food products so that trans fats are eliminated and saturated fats are replaced by unsaturated fats, reducing salt and sugar without adding harmful alternatives and increasing physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviour through health system and environmental modifications.

The proposed Action plan for the prevention and control of NCDs in the WHO European Region continues and updates the Action Plan for implementation of the European Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases 2012–2016. 

Taking new evidence, exciting developments, existing commitments and progress of Member States into account, the Action plan focuses on priority action areas and interventions for the next 10 years (2016– 2025) in order to achieve regional and global targets to reduce premature mortality, reduce the disease burden, improve the quality of life and make healthy life expectancy more equitable. 

The Action plan has been developed through a consultative process, guided by technical experts. Its formulation incorporates the Health 2020 policy framework, follow-up to the United Nations high-level meetings on noncommunicable diseases in 2011 and 2014, and implications of the recently adopted Sustainable Development Goals.

Read press release and download the Action Plan in English, Russian, French and German via the links below.